Why Mom Deserves a Diamond contest

The Why Mom Deserves a Diamond® contest is a national writing contest that was founded in 1993 by Gallery of Diamonds jewelers in California. The president, Michael C. Watson, originally established the contest in honor of his adoptive mother, Martha, and the birth mother he was searching for but never found. The contest was offered locally to school kids to show their appreciation for their mothers. Two hundred and fifty essays with a 100-word limit were submitted and sophomore Margaret Ketchersid was declared the first grand-prize winner of a quarter-carat diamond. On the morning of Mother’s Day, Margaret was awarded the precious gem to give her mother.

Today, the contest is in honor of all moms, and is the largest mothers essay contest of its kind in the United States. Nearly 20,000 essays are submitted annually and are read by more than a dozen teachers who act as contest panel judges.

Intellectual Property

The trademark Why Mom Deserves a Diamond® was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark office on July 27, 2001. Registration number 2,620,840. The trademark, The Legendary Contest®, received registration on April 17, 2007, as "A writing contest in which kids can honor their mothers and have the chance to win a diamond or gemstone." Reg #3229618.

References

* http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/01/04/education/dpt-diamondcontest01.txt] Words of Love to Explain Why Mom Deserves a Diamond. "The Daily Pilot." December 31, 2007.
* [http://www.allbusiness.com/society-social/families-children-adoption/6354359-1.html 'Tribute to Mom' North America > United States from AllBusiness.com ] ] Tribute to Mom. "Jewelers Circular Keystone Magazine." May 1, 2004.
* [http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:UqJruv-i_z4J:www.servitehs.org/ourpages/legenda_crest/Legenda/1%2520Legenda%2520Fall%252005.pdf+%22why+my+mom+deserves+a+diamond%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=23&gl=us&client=firefox-a 403 Forbidden ] ] Why My Mom Deserves a Diamond. Servite High School "Legenda." Fall 2005.
* [http://thecrazywoman.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_archive.html The Crazy Woman: March 2004 ] ] White, Deborah. "Genius Mother’s Day Marketing Strategy." March 25, 2004.
* The Union. "Diamond Daughter- Teen’s ode earns her mother a quarter-carat gem." By David Mirhadi. February 21, 2004.
* Orange County Register. "Moms Celebrate a Gem of a Mother's Day." By Dorothy Jean. April 20, 1999.
* Watson, Michael C. "Adopted Like Me- Chosen to Search for Truth, Identity, and a Birthmother." Gallery of Diamonds Publishing. 2005.
* InStore Magazine. "Why Mom Deserves a Diamond® Contest." April, 2005. By Trace Shelton.
* Orange County Register. "Words Worth a Diamond." March 19, 2007. By Amanda Glowish.
* Houston Chronicle. "Hernandez's Words Earns A Sparkling Gift." May 9, 2001. By Rich Clark and Kristi Rangel-King.
* Gallery of Diamonds Awards Gifts for Mom. "Jewelers Circular Keystone Magazine." May, 2000.
* Sixth-grader’s Poem Proves it’s a Real Gem. Colorado Springs. "The Gazette. " By Andrea Brown. March 7, 2005.
* Santas of Small Business. "Orange County Register." Jan Norman. December 25, 1995.